Based on Elleston Trevor's novel, The Flight of the Phoenix opens with a well-staged plane crash in the middle of the Sahara desert. The pilot (James Stewart) and the navigator (Richard Attenborough) do their best to maintain order among the survivors, a group of oil men not well-suited for survival in the desert wastes. Some of those who appear to be the most resourceful reveal themselves to be inept or cowardly, while other less prepossessing types -- notably bespectacled Standish (Dan Duryea) -- demonstrate surprising inner reserves of strength. The ultimate fate of the survivors rests in the hands of Heinrich Dorfmann (Hardy Kruger), who uses the wreckage of the old plane to design a new one. The Flight of the Phoenix was dedicated to the memory of veteran stunt pilot Paul Mantz, who was killed while filming the take-off scene of the new plane. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Side #1 --

1. Bound for Benghazi
2. The Sandstorm
3. Main Titles
4. Crash Landing
5. Getting Organized
6. The Survival Plan
7. The Radio
8. another Sandstorm
9. The Fifth Day
10. Captain Harris' Plan
11. A Twisted Ankle
12. The Aircraft Designer
13. A Head Case
14. Going After Cobb
15. Dorfmann's Idea
16. Night Work
17. A Cunning German
18. The Return of Captain Harris
19. Watson's Guilt
20. Suicide
21. Stolen Water
22. If...
23. The Left Wing
24. The Right Wing
25. The Raiding Party
26. A Refused Order
27. Death in the Desert
28. A Vision of Farida
29. Stupidity as a Virtue
30. The Man in Charge
31. Toy Airplanes
32. Starting the Engine
33. Dragging the Plane
34. The Take-Off
35. Happy Landing
36. End Titles